Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu (Quechua Machu old and picchu, mountain) is an ancient Inca city (llaqta) of XV century Peru, perched on a rocky promontory that links the mountains Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu on the eastern slope of the Central Andes. His name was Picchu or Picho.

According to documents of the sixteenth century, Machu Picchu was one of the residences of the emperor Pachacutec. However, some of the tallest buildings and ceremonial character of the main access road to llaqta show that the place was used as a religious sanctuary. The two uses are not necessarily mutually exclusive. However, experts have dismissed the idea of ​​a military facility.

The sacred city Machu Picchu, forgotten for centuries, is considered a masterpiece of Inca architecture. It was unveiled to the world by the American archaeologist Hiram Bingham, History of Latin America at Yale University, who wrote a reference to this assistant professor. Its architectural features and the veil of mystery that literature has developed on the site have been one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Since 1983, the site is on the World Heritage List of UNESCO. July 7, 2007, Machu Picchu was designated as one of the seven new wonders of the world by NewOpenWorld Foundation, a non-official and commercial. Finally, the site is part of a whole cultural and ecological unit known as the “Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu.”